Silent Windhttps://silentstare.wordpress.com
Silentstare's entries. Anything and everything.
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1 http://wordpress.com/https://s0.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngSilent Windhttps://silentstare.wordpress.com
I discovered Anki!https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/i-discovered-anki/
https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/i-discovered-anki/#respondMon, 20 Aug 2012 09:15:41 +0000http://silentstare.wordpress.com/?p=380Anki is a SRS (spaced repetition system) program that uses flashcards to help you in memorizing things. I stumbled upon this yesterday and I am happy. Installed it in my laptop, registered in ankiweb, and installed it in my ipod touch. Such a deadly combination! It will allow you to study in your laptop or in your ipod and sync the changes! Cool! One thing that I am disappointed about is the media support (audio and images)… as of now, Dropbox no longer allows third party application like this to access the files in their servers. Tsk tsk… BUT there will be changes in version 2 which will no longer depend on file hosting sites like Dropbox. Just have to wait for it.

So far Anki is great and works for me. I will use it to study CCNA and Nihongo.

]]>https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/i-discovered-anki/feed/0silentstareStarting again…https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/starting-again/
https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/starting-again/#respondThu, 16 Aug 2012 00:31:30 +0000http://silentstare.wordpress.com/?p=382I will start again today. I will continually learn and aim for my goals. Everyone has 24hrs/day so it is all about how you use your time.
]]>https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2012/08/16/starting-again/feed/0silentstareLearning Backtrack Linuxhttps://silentstare.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/learning-backtrack-linux/
https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/learning-backtrack-linux/#respondSun, 08 Jan 2012 10:17:44 +0000http://silentstare.wordpress.com/?p=378I am now trying to learn Backtrack Linux. I watched a youtube video which is similar to what I have learned during the training I last attended. It is about social engineering — creating a clone website and checking the password of the victim. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQUypy2CEwE

I must try this in my new laptop. This could certainly help in upgrading my resume to a new level!

]]>https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/learning-backtrack-linux/feed/0silentstareInuYasha is back: InuYasha Kanketsu-henhttps://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/inuyasha-is-back-inuyasha-kanketsu-hen/
https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/inuyasha-is-back-inuyasha-kanketsu-hen/#respondFri, 24 Jul 2009 05:53:25 +0000http://silentstare.wordpress.com/?p=346
According to ANN, InuYasha’s Final Chapters will get a TV Anime in Japan this Fall.

This year’s 34th issue of Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine will announce next Wednesday that an Inuyasha Kanketsu-hen (Inuyasha Final Chapter) television adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi’s manga has been green-lit. The anime will broadcast on Japan’s YTV this fall and cover the story in volumes 36 to 56 of the manga — the final 21 compiled book volumes. The original staff and cast will reunite for the new anime adaptation.

Shonen Sunday had promised earlier this month that it will be including a special news announcement about Inuyasha in issue #34. Takahashi had ended the Inuyasha manga in the same magazine last June. She has been serializing a new manga called RIN-NE (Kyōkai no Rinne) in the magazine as well as on TheRumicWorld.com website for North America readers since April 22. Viz Media has been releasing the Inuyasha manga in North America, and it has also released the original 2000-2004 television anime adaptation.

]]>https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/inuyasha-is-back-inuyasha-kanketsu-hen/feed/0silentstareInuYasha Final ActInuYasha Kanketsu-hen coverEther Saga looks great but IP blocked some countrieshttps://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/ether-saga-looks-great-but-ip-blocked-some-countries/
https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/ether-saga-looks-great-but-ip-blocked-some-countries/#commentsSun, 05 Jul 2009 14:59:21 +0000http://silentstare.wordpress.com/?p=293Just this week, I stumbled upon this game: Ether Saga. It is a brand new MMORPG and looks cool (for me). The main site’s URL is http://eso.perfectworld.com/ I love the graphics, animations, the flying items/mounts, pets as shown in teasers like this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFqdFX3EP88 The game has three races namely Renzu-Human, Shenzu-Demigods, and Yaoh-Animal Race (once animals according to their site). Class is divided into six (6):

Dragoon (melee attacker, tankers, lance user)

Rogue (melee, dagger)

Mystic (healers but weird/overpowered according to some due to their offensive skills–meaning they have BOTH healing AND some offensive attacks)

Ranger (ranged attackers, bow)

Conjurer (range, the mage class, offensive, uses amulets)

Shaman (healing skills but NOT good at all compare to Mystic, secondary tank, hammers)

So being excited to try it out at once, I hurriedly checked their download section, grabbed their torrent since it will be my best option and waited for 9 hours to finish (not continuous)—really long because my connection wasn’t that great at all but I endured it. I want to play this game, I told myself. I visited the official forum, some fansites so I can plan ahead about the class I am about to pick once everything is ready. Since I always choose a mage type character in any MMORPG, I decided to go with Conjurer. Their amulets caught my eyes too because it is a little different; it is not-your-ordinary-and-very common-staff or wand. And one spell took my fancy. The Phoenix Flare. I saw this in one of the trailer videos from Youtube and I like it. I love this mythical creature! Even though I will be an Unda Conjurer, still I want to see this spell myself (it’s a Pyr spell; Conjurers main affinities are Unda and Pyra—you can’t be pure Unda or pure Pyra). Below is a screenshot (I think this is the Phoenix Flare):

That nine hours has passed and I installed the game right away, patiently waited for the extraction of all files, verifications, etc, clicked the install button and then…patch which didn’t work at all. It says the patch is too big and must be downloaded manually. So, still eager to play, I went to the site and clicked the patch links. To my surprise, the first patch file has a size of 270MB+ and the other is 160MB+! Well, we can say it is normal considering the graphics of the game. I was like, okay okay. That’s perfectly fine. In exchange for another hour or two of waiting again, I’ll be playing this game that caught my interests. Waited again. While waiting, I browse through the net and something popped in my mind. “Wait, I don’t have an account yet!”…and so, I jumped to their site again and tried to register. BUT—I am very unfortunate. I have already successfully installed the game, have plans with my Conjurer, its build will be Unda/Pyra, Shenzu Race (The Demigods that can equip the wings), with birthday of 7/19 for Ocean Size, Hermetic Winds, Stupify and already downloading the final pieces of the puzzle: the patches BUT to my disappointment I was prompted with this message when I tried to register:

Disabled Region
Our sincerest apologies, we cannot provide service to players in your region or to players using open proxies.
Please contact support at customerservice@perfectworldinc.com to resolve this issue.

WTF! I gradually lose all the excitement and energy that I had just few seconds ago. WTH, tell me they are kidding! I googled it for answer and the result? Players from Philippines cannot play Ether Saga because there is an IP block. According to this, we will have our own version. Come to think of it, we do have Perfect World here being hosted by Level Up! so maybe that explains why. In the future, this company might/will host this game for us. When? I wonder.

Just for reference, allow me to quote the list of blocked regions at this moment.

Now, I am going to stop downloading the patches and uninstall this game to free up some space. All of my efforts are just for nothing! Tsk tsk! I wish I knew beforehand that this game has IP blocks for some regions. I thought since it is an international game, it is open for everyone. At least, I hope the authorities will consider to put up an announcement somewhere in their first page of the site like “Warning: Some regions are blocked. Please refer for the list here” or something like that. Why? To let everyone know that the game is NOT OPEN for everyone! I wasted several hours for nothing! Please! I am sure I am not the only one who experienced/will be experiencing this. It is REALLY a BIG DISAPPOINTMENT! T_T

To finish this post and to show how my face looked like when I discovered that I cannot play this game, here’s a screenshot:

Oh well, that’s life. Let us just hope, we will have our local version very soon.

All screenshots are from the main site of the game. I do NOT own them.

Tsk tsk…Fellow Filipinos, please do vote wisely. Do you want a leader like this man?

]]>https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/senator-manny-villar-and-boy-abunda-ads/feed/3silentstareSenator Manny Villar – Kindly stop your freaking ads!https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/senator-manny-villar-kindly-stop-your-freaking-ads/
https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/senator-manny-villar-kindly-stop-your-freaking-ads/#commentsThu, 28 May 2009 11:17:21 +0000http://silentstare.wordpress.com/?p=286My goodness! I saw another ad just few minutes ago. It is about pabahay by Mr. Senator Manny Villar, with the usual “Basta mahirap, tumutulong sa mahirap” finishing line. CRAP! STOP IT! You already had 3 crappy ads before: the Itik and 2 OFWs WTH videos. Are you not satisfied yet? Wow you do have lots of money in your pocket huh!

If you think you will convince us that you are a “good” person by showing these things…well, you are wrong! We were not born yesterday! I swear I WILL NOT VOTE YOU! You don’t deserve the position of being a president!

]]>https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/senator-manny-villar-kindly-stop-your-freaking-ads/feed/1silentstareMy Nippon Export Experiencehttps://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/my-nippon-export-experience/
https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/my-nippon-export-experience/#respondMon, 25 May 2009 08:40:11 +0000http://silentstare.wordpress.com/?p=331On my last entry, I said something about the manga I bought online. At that time, I was afraid that the Customs will charge me with insane amount once my manga landed in my country so I searched through Google on how to deal with my country’s Bureau of Customs. I found some people saying most people are “crocs” but if luck is on your side they won’t overcharge you. Uh oh–I had hope Luck will be beside me. And just few minutes ago, my manga finally arrived and it was delivered straight to our room! The postman was carrying a small box when he knocked. He said it is a delivery from Japan and asked for the payment of Php 45.00 (hoho, Luck was beside me! XD), I hurriedly grabbed my money and handed it out to him. He gave me my receipt and the box. Wohoo! Finally, I received the manga I purchased via an online store: an InuYasha Manga Volume 1 in its original Japanese language! Woot! I ordered it nine days ago from Nippon Export, an online store for any items from Japan and was alerted that it has been shipped out two days ago. I am very much contented so I am sharing my experience:

April 6, 2009 – I registered myself in their site.

April 12 up to the remaining days of the month – Inquiries. Then, I found out that I cannot pay through credit card because their site’s system for credit card payment is not available for my country. So, I am left with Paypal. I registered an account there and added one of my credit cards. I waited for my credit card statement to get the little confirmation code from Paypal.

May 16, 2009 – I sent an inquiry about the availability of the manga. Though their site’s FAQ says that for an old book it would take about 3 weeks at most to get a copy from the publisher, InuYasha manga is an exception because it is a successful one and I was informed a copy of the said manga can be ready within a week. So, I placed my order. Wee

I paid a total of 1468 Yen. 468 Yen for the manga + 1000 Yen for shipping (EMS). Unfortunately, EMS is the only option I can get. Oh well, at least the book will arrive fast due to this shipping method. I received an invoice and sent the payment right after.

May 17, 2009 – My Paypal payment has been confirmed. I have to wait at least a week for them to get a copy of the book from the publisher.

May 23, 2009 – My order has been shipped out.

May 25, 2009 – Manga has been received in very good condition! Woot!

So, what can I say about this? It was really a great online shopping experience! ^^ Below I listed my pros and cons. First, the cons.

Cons

Shipping cost– For my manga, it is 1000 Yen which is doubled the price of my manga.

Limited shipping method (for my country)– I was left with EMS. Though it is a good shipping method, I wasn’t given the chance to choose. But still I am happy with their service.

No other payment options for me– I am lucky that there is Paypal.

Pros

Great customer service – Very fast and kind response to all inquiries

Item has been packaged with care – Manga is in very good condition, no scratches, deformation, etc. Look at the pics below

Price is much lower compare to other online stores- Well, I compared it to two online stores and it is the cheapest among the three. But then again, the shipping cost is really a big ouch. >.<

No hidden costs or whatever – Very true. Just check out your item and whatever the price is, that’s it. No hidden charges etc. Thumbs up!

Pictures

Rating: 10/10 Because I am contented and happy with my manga.

Note: I am NOT affiliated with Nippon-Export. I am just a satisfied customer that wants to broadcast to everyone that it is a great online store for your otaku needs!

]]>https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/my-nippon-export-experience/feed/0silentstareInuYasha Vol 1 CoverInuYasha Manga Vol 1 - 1InuYasha Manga Vol 1 - 2InuYasha Manga Vol 1 - 3InuYasha Manga Vol 1 - 4 Philippines: Taxes on imported books, what will happen now? (Victory!)https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/05/23/philippines-taxes-on-imported-books-what-will-happen/
https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/05/23/philippines-taxes-on-imported-books-what-will-happen/#commentsSat, 23 May 2009 14:47:54 +0000http://silentstare.wordpress.com/?p=274Today, I tried to search for more information regarding customs and duties taxes for manga importation because I want to know how much I will be paying once it arrives in my country. But it seems that it is just a hit and miss method. According to some forums, “May tawaran” portion pa kung minsan. There is no definite or fixed price which concludes that it is not really based on a real computation. Argh, I hope they won’t overcharge me for a manga worth 468 Yen. -_-

Anyway, while searching for more customs related issues…I stumbled upon some news and articles about the Philippines Book Blockade. It seems that the Customs will now charge taxes for imported books. 1% for educational and 5% for non-educational. Only those “books or raw materials to be used in book publishing” are exempted, they say. WTH! This is pretty alarming! For sure if this persists, books will gradually drop in quantity. Importers will surely think twice before dealing with imported books. I think there are two possible options for importers: 1.) Do not import at all ; 2.) Increase the prices of imported books. Do not import at all is not good. I can’t imagine seeing nothing new in any local bookstore! (Imagine going to National Bookstore and see the same books you saw last month—how interesting no?) If they go with the first option, our country will be stagnant. Information coming from other countries will not reach our archipelago. With that, what are we going to do? Rely on illegal downloading of scanned versions of the books that we love to buy? That’s really ridiculous! The second one will surely hurt the pockets of buyers and only favors the rich class. Only them who are willing to shell out more money will be able to enrich their knowledge. How about the middle and lower class? Don’t they have the right to have access to these treasures? These taxes on imported books will surely have an impact on our education system. Didn’t we Filipinos believe that education is the key to poverty? So, without updated textbooks, imported reading materials and foreign books, how can we grow? How can we heighten our knowledge, creativity and relation to other countries? How can we understand the cultures of other countries? Just try to guess? By implementing these taxes, they are restricting us for information outside the country. It’s like putting us in a huge cage and banning us to reach out for more knowledge.

Everyone, please let us join our hands. We must do something with this! This is a serious matter. Please spread the word to your friends, relatives, colleagues, to everyone! Imagine our country without these imported books!

]]>https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/05/23/philippines-taxes-on-imported-books-what-will-happen/feed/3silentstareVizBig Edition starting November 2009https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/05/17/vizbig-edition-starting-november-2009/
https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/05/17/vizbig-edition-starting-november-2009/#respondSun, 17 May 2009 10:49:11 +0000http://silentstare.wordpress.com/?p=241Today, I ordered the first volume of Inuyasha manga in its original Japanese text from an online store. It’s my very first time to order something online; I do hope to get the item that I bought! (._.) Right now, I am still keeping my fingers crossed hoping that it will be successful online shopping experience! Anyway, after that…I did some google search for more Inuyasha stuffs. I stumbled across the news dated just last month (April) at ANN. [I know I am so late XD but it’s better to be late than never! Haha] I am quoting the whole news below.

The North American publisher Viz Media has announced that it will “unflip” its English-language release of Rumiko Takahashi‘s Inuyasha manga, starting with volume 38 in July. Future volumes of the English edition will revert to the right-to-left page layout of the original Japanese edition and be published monthly. Starting this November, Viz will also reprint the entire series in VIZBIG editions. Each unflipped bumper volume of the VIZBIG edition will contain the contents of three of the original volumes.

Finally, my beloved series will be unflipped (Right to Left) just like the original! Upon knowing this news, I became so excited that I kept on searching for more information about this VizBig release for Inuyasha. So far, it seems that it will be a 3-in-1 edition scheduled to be released in November 2009. The price will be $17.99 based from TheRumicWorld and it’s $12.23 from Amazon. So the price range is $12-$18. Good deal, I believe. Considering that it will be a 3-in-1 release, unflipped…it’s a good pick especially for avid fans of the series! (Just like me! I will surely save up more money for these! I’m gonna collect the whole set! >:D) However, as I went on searching for more, I came across some blogs which discussed about a rumor. This and this are the blogs I am talking about. From the latter, it stated the following:

UPDATE: In the comments, Greg McElhatton shares a rumor that would explain why all of Rumiko Takahashi’s manga series have always appeared in flipped format, even when subsequent, smaller editions were released: Apparently Viz’s licenses were too specific and only granted the rights to publish Takahashi’s work in the flipped format. So to publish new, unflipped editions, Viz would have to renegotiate their contracts, which would add additional costs they probably don’t want to incur for a reprint project. So it looks like the VIZBIG edition of Inuyasha may be flipped after all, which just seems… odd. (Although Tekkon Kinkreet was reissued in a flipped format, so maybe it’s not such a big deal.)

So it seems that it is already stated in the contract between Viz and Rumiko Takahashi that the manga will be published in flipped format and to have it in unflipped editions would mean to have a new contract? That’s how I understand it. *sigh* Adding more to the disappointment, this Amazon Link‘s description for Inuyasha Volume 1 (VIZBIG EDITION) says

Product DescriptionL to R (Western Style). Quaeterly. Historical Action And Romance From One of Japan’s Most Beloved Creators Kagome is a modern Japanese high school girl. Never the type to believe in myths and legends, her world view dramatically changes when, one day, she’s pulled out of herown time and into another! Removed the succeeding text

WTH! L to R! And here I thought it will be unflipped! So what’s with the Vizbig Unflipped News? I know this contract thing is a rumor and I hope it stays as it is. Surely this Amazon Product Description must be just a big typographical error! If ever the rumor is true, then the Vizbig Edition is actually a waste. It will be just a 3-in-1 release, that’s all. Nothing new, nothing to look forward to.

When I started to like this series, I never had the intention to purchase the English Version because it’s flipped (reading Left to Right)—it’s a really huge turn off because the drawing has lost its greatness due to the flipping. But now that they will be releasing unflipped versions, I will surely be one of your customers! So Viz, please do! *fingers crossed*

]]>https://silentstare.wordpress.com/2009/05/17/vizbig-edition-starting-november-2009/feed/0silentstareInuYashaInuyasha Hanyou and Human Form